101 Epicurean Thrills

by david on 16 July 2010

Beginning in 1902, May E. Southworth wrote a series a cookbooks for Paul Elder, each containing one hundred and one recipes. Elder, who enjoyed giving most everything a special title, named the series “101 Epicurean Thrills”. They sold well and many were reprinted into the early 1910s. Most memorably, they each have whimsical cover artwork by an unidentified artist. Most commonly seen in paper wraps, each title was also sold in cloth over boards. The twelve titles are:

101 Beverages

101 Candies

101 Chafing-Dish Recipes

101 Desserts

101 Entrées

101 Layer Cakes

101 Mexican Dishes

101 Oyster Recipes

101 Salads

101 Sandwiches

101 Sauces

101 Ways of Serving Oysters

In 1914, Southworth followed up the series with a cookbook entitled Midnight Feasts: 202 Salads and Chafing-Dish Recipes.

101 Candies

Alternate cloth cover of "101 Candies"

101 Chafing Dish Recipes

101 Desserts

101 Entrees

101 Mexican Dishes

101 Salads

101 Sandwiches, with the 1902 version of the cover artwork. This may be the earliest book in the series, as I haven't seen any other title with this cover style.